Philly firefighters union defends social media post telling baseball fans to ‘avoid the colored areas’ on map

The union representing Philadelphia firefighters and emergency workers is defending a “warning” posted Friday on social media that shares a map of Philadelphia and tells people to “avoid the colored areas on the map of the city.”

The post, which racked up hundreds of shares and comments on Facebook, X, and Instagram, was heavily criticized for being misleading, inflammatory, and potentially racist.

Mike Bresnan, president of Local 22 of the International Fire Fighters and Paramedics Union, said the post, which went up four days before Philadelphia hosts the MLB All-Star Game, is simply intended to alert visitors about safety.

“It’s not so clean, green, and safe as the mayor says,” Bresnan said by text message Saturday afternoon.

Bresnan said that the map image is taken from a gun violence heat map on the website of City Controller Christy Brady, who was not immediately available for comment Saturday.

The heat map tracks the 259 nonfatal and 71 fatal victims of gun violence in the city this year through June 28. “To date, there have been 83 homicides in 2026, a 27% decrease from 2025,” the website states.

Philadelphia is on track to mark fewer than 200 homicides this year for the first time since the 1960s — a significant decline and a reversal of the spike in deaths five years ago.

Bresnan pushed back against the notion that the use of the phrase colored areas was meant to have a racist undertone, and called those who would say otherwise “radicals.”

“That was the colored regions on the map,” Bresnan said. “We didn’t want to say orange not to offend the POTUS [President Donald Trump] as he seems already pissed at the city.”

The Trump administration has been in a legal battle with the city over the President’s House Site, which detailed the lives of nine enslaved people who lived with and worked for President George Washington. Most recently, the federal government was cleared to install its own exhibit at the site.

The union endorsed Trump in 2020, a controversial move that divided members. The union did not endorse a presidential candidate in 2024.

The city is already flooded with baseball fans visiting the All-Star Village at the Convention Center and getting excited for Tuesday’s game.

The social media post came two days after the city and the union ratified a new contract with its members. The union was disappointed with the result, which for the first time in two decades leaves firefighters and emergency workers with a lower pay increase than what police got.

The office of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker declined to comment Saturday. In a statement released Wednesday, Parker said that the contract award recognized the contributions of the city’s firefighters and emergency medical personnel “while supporting the city’s efforts to remain fiscally responsible.”

Bresnan said the union is pursuing a change to the City Charter that would require the mayor to have the approval of two-thirds of City Council in order to appeal a contract. He said the threat that mayor would appeal too high of a raise had loomed over labor negotiations.

In response to the online post, even some supporters of the city’s firefighters seemed disappointed.

“Appreciate all you do for the city but this is an unbelievably bad look,” wrote Lauren Vidas on X.

Some online commenters said the post was just a bad way to attempt to agitate for union members disappointed in their contract. Others said it misleads people, warning them away from some of the city’s safest, most affluent, and most tourist-friendly areas, which had nonetheless borne witness to an instance of gun violence this year.

“Contrary to what is posted, you are safe in Philadelphia,” wrote Facebook user Michael Reed. “Have a good time while you’re here. Obviously there are better areas than others and you always should be aware of your surroundings. It’s not as dangerous as this post would imply. Enjoy our great city and get some good food while you’re here.”